Entanglement
by Kaleidoscope.e
Summary: Entanglement of the heart and the head. AU story set in the early nineteenth century. Grim/Ulqui. T for language.
1. Plots and homecomings

**Story name : **Entanglement  
**Date published :** September 23rd 2009  
**Rating :** PG-13 for Language.  
**Status :** Ongoing  
**Pairings :** Eventual Grimmulqui, a couple surprises too.  
**Disclaimer :** I've crossed to the dark side! =O Authors note can be found at the bottom.  
Oh, and these characters belong to Tite Kubo. Who needs to learn a lesson from Tsugumi Ohba / Takeshi Obata and kill his protagonist. Leave us the bad guys! =[

* * *

"Summon my son immediately."

A man with jet black hair was standing with his back to the door, looking out a tall window. "Yes master." an obedient reply followed by a deep bow came from the waiting servant as he scurried away to do as he'd been told. The head of the Schiffer family had always kept a strict household believing that each member had their place and they'd do well to know it. Those who worked in his household understood all too well the consequences of disobedience and were careful to avoid it at all costs. The truth was, they were petrified of their master. Highly respected and powerful, Earl Schiffer was a strategic man; so when a chance to improve their family status was presented, he knew what he had to do.

"Father."

Ulquiorra Schiffer, the eldest and only son of the Schiffer family stood at the door, head bowed slightly. Like his father, the young man held order in high regard; order kept life simple and organized, order made decisions easy and logical, order was simple.

"Ulquiorra, sit down."

He did as he was told and sat himself in front of his father's desk. Patience was a skill that he'd been taught very early on. A couple thrashings as a child will teach you not to wail when something takes too long.

"An opportunity has presented itself. One I wish you to pursue in the family name." The man turned to face his son now, staring at the green eyes with a composed face. Ulquiorra said nothing and so the man continued. "His Grace, Duke Aizen, has recently made public his intentions for his daughter's future."

Duke Aizen was one of the few men in high society who could rival Earl Schiffer in terms of sheer eeriness. The differences between the men were few but notable. Rank wise, the Aizen family sat two social levels above the Schiffer's and when it came to personal riches the Schiffer family was one of the wealthiest families of the area; Aizen was simply wealthier. However, in one respect, Earl Schiffer had trumped Aizen completely. This personal victory could be summed up in one word :

Ulquiorra.

While the Schiffer family had an heir, the Aizen branch did not. It was common gossip that Aizen's wife had carried three sons, each one dying soon after birth. Only the last baby would survive, a girl who would remain the only Aizen child. People found it strange when Aizen did not remarry after his wife's death, a year after his daughter's birth. Did he not want an heir to succeed him? It was most unthinkable of him to ever leave his estate without a heir... then again, he was no simpleton, that Aizen. If he did not have a son, it was surely because he had a backup plan.

"I see." Ulquiorra nodded and paused a moment before continuing, "What would you have me do?"

"You will court her. Beguile her, while I convince her father that it would be a good match." His father walked over to the desk now, standing behind it. This was how they always were, a desk apart. Never had Ulquiorra's father made an effort to show emotion towards his son and because of this, emotions were thought very little of by the young man.

"I understand."

"I am glad to hear of it. This union will do much for our family." The earl sat down at his desk and took up a quill that sat near a blank page, dipping it into an open ink bottle. "We cannot assume that there will not be others vying for the Lady's affections and a place in the Aizen family. Keep your wits about you." He began scrapping away at the paper with the quill tip, not so much as glancing at his son as he dismissed him. "That is all, you may go."

Ulquiorra bowed before his father and turned to leave but was stopped when the man spoke once more, stopping him. "Oh, and Ulquiorra," the younger of the two did not turn but remained frozen, waiting for his father to continue.

"Do not disappoint me." It was the same voice that sent fear into the hearts of the bravest of men, and yet Ulquiorra did not so much as flinch. Being brought up around his father had had this effect. He continued to the door, opening it and leaving one remark before shutting it neatly.

"I will not."

*** * ***

"Don't tell me you're quitin' already!" A loud and brash voice called out after a man who ran away from him, a bloody, stumbling mess. "Fuckin' prick. That'll teach 'im to open his mouth." The loud voice grunted slightly as he wiped at his cheek, crimson showing on the back of his hand. He groaned at the sight of it; his father was going to give him hell again, he knew it. In fact, he could practically hear it now :

"Another fight? How many times have I told you boy, you abide by my rules. You are a son of this household and yet you act like a peasant! A commoner! If you cannot learn to show some discretion, I will have no choice but to freeze your funds, you obtuse child!"

Oh yeah, it would no doubt go on to threats on his title and blah de blah de blah. He could've cared less to be totally honest. After all, he was strong, he was determined, he was-

"Lord Grimmjow, there you are!"

The blue haired man growled as one of his father's pawns ran over to him. "Your mother, the lady Jaegerj-" Could he not escape the never ending onslaught of these carbon copy servants?

"Yeah, I fucking know who my mother is. What about her?" He said, already annoyed by this man and his babbling.

"I come bearing a message from her." That was the thing about the Jaegerjaques's messengers; they were used to Grimmjow and his language by now.

"Well what are you fucking waiting for? An invitation? Let's hear it."

"Of course. She wished to inform you that your sister will be arriving tonight. It is also her wish that you return to the manor to clean yourself up and prepare."

Grimmjow had to smirk at the last sentence : Clean himself up. Well, his mother knew him well, if nothing else. Then the first part of the message hit him. "My... sister?" He looked at the man strangely. "I thought she was abroad with that French family or whatever for the summer."

"Plans change."

A voice from behind Grimmjow caused a smirking grin to cross his features as he turned around to face the speaker. "And you wouldn't have anything to do with it, would you Nnoitra?" His oldest friend gave a bitter laugh. "And why the hell would I want Lady Neliel back in town?" He made a point here.

Little Neliel Jaegerjaques was the not so little sister of the blue haired man. A mere two years older, Grimmjow had always been very fond of his little sister and, though he would admit it to few, she was the one person who's advice he would listen to, who's opinion mattered and who he really loved. He was not a protective person by nature but with his sister, he went into traditional brother mode, making sure that any potential suitors that approached her would not fuck her over, literally and figuratively. And boy, were there young men lined up to try. Even his closest friend, if that was what he could call Nnoitra, had taken a swing at it.

The two young men had known each other as children, having the same tutor who would often toss them together for their lessons. Alone, they were trouble makers; together, they were demons. Grimmjow had even been with him the day that Nnoitra had injured and lost use of his left eye. He'd taken to wearing an eye patch ever since and instead of pushing the ladies away, the dangerous edge it gave him seemed to only bring more toward him. Like bees to honey. Naturally, he'd learned to like bees. Lots of bees.

When Neliel had reached the age of sixteen, Nnoitra had began to show an interest in the girl who was quickly growing into quite the pretty young woman. This didn't sit well with Grimmjow who knew his friend's womanizing ways; he was fine with Nnoitra fucking as many women and streetwalkers as he wanted but his sister? No way in hell was he going to let that fly. Luckily, he did not have to intervene. One day, Nnoitra was charming his sister with his... charm and the next, he was sending her daggers and glares.

Evidentially, Neliel had had enough and had rebuffed him.

Brutally.

Who would have known that a small sixteen year old girl could slap so hard?

Clearly not Nnoitra. The entire situation had greatly wounded his ego and he'd been spiteful toward the lady Jeagerjaques ever since.

"Right. So why're you here?"

"I was delivering a message to the old geezer for my father." The old geezer being Lord Barragan and his father being... well, his father of course.

"Delivering a message? What happened, did your family suddenly go so broke they can't even afford a messenger?" Grimmjow started laughing loudly as Nnoitra sent a well aimed smack toward his head. Not well aimed enough though; Grimmjow ducked quickly, dodging the attack.

"Shut up! You know my old man. Doesn't "trust" the servants. Why the fuck we have 'em then, I don't know."

Grimmjow simply continued to laugh until he was interrupted by his own messenger clearing his throat. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." He rolled his eyes and turned to go with him. "I'll send my sister your regards."

A "hmph" was all he got in response from his pirate looking friend.

*** * ***

The sounds of a piano were the first thing Grimmjow heard as he entered the Jaegerjaques manor. That meant only one thing: Neliel had beat him home. She'd always had a knack for being early. He followed the music to it's source, the piano room of course, and stood in the doorway, watching the young woman's fingers run up and down the piano as she played. Once the piece was done, he spoke.

"New tune?"

The younger girl's face lit up as she turned then immediately un-lit. She sighed slightly at the sight her brother presented her with and said, with a sad smile.

"Get into a fight Grimmjow?"

"What...? Oh! Damn..." He'd forgotten about that detail... Shaking her head and laughing slightly, Neliel got up from the piano bench and went to hug her brother, careful not to get the blood on her clothing; her mother would have a fit if she did.

"Some things will never change. Come on, better get those cuts looked at."

"I'll live, I'm sure." he replied, engulfing the strange haired girl in a hug. Her presence was a real moral booster to Grimmjow, though he would never admit it. Neliel had been planning to spend the summer touring with a friend and then remain in France a couple months. She'd been gone five months and had been planning to stay another six. Not that this sudden change of events bothered him in the slightest as it was good to have the rug-rat around.

"Yeah but one of these days you might not and as much as it would be peaceful around here... What with father not screaming or resorting to drink and Gertrude not having to fetch smelling salts for mother every ten minutes... Though, as peaceful as it might be, I'd be pretty upset if you were to die."

Grimmjow chuckled at the comment. "Thanks for that Nel. I'm glad you think so highly of my life here."

"Don't mention it."

He was glad to have her back home.

**Author's Note: **Alright boys and girls. We can't quite see it yet but I swear, this is not an Ulquihime or a Grimmhime story. It just so happens that uh... well I didn't get very far plot wise in this first chapter. Other then introducing a couple of the characters we'll be seeing / hearing from most and giving you a basic set up of this world. Why did I choose to toss these characters into the late eighteenth early nineteenth century? Why the hell not. AU is love after all and the idea came to me randomly so I went for it. Worked out well, it was this chapter that brought my muse back! So enjoy (I hope!) and please leave your comments / suggestions. It is every authors joy to get feedback! Next chapter should be up soon!


	2. Interesting

**Story name :** Entanglement

**Date published : **September 27th [and added to October 10th. I put two chapters together.]

**Rating :** PG 13 (for the cat's mouth)

**Status : **Ongoing

**Pairings :** There shall be many! The story focuses around Ulquiorra and Grimmjow but we're going to see some others showing up too.

**Disclaimer : **I am looking for a Beta! Oh, and these characters belong to Tite Kubo.

* * *

"Hah! Are you a bunch of fucking morons or what?" The blue haired man slammed his fist on the table as he stood from his chair.

A group of eyes turned to look at the man who'd exploded so quickly. Some of them groaned, others merely rolled their eyes; they'd grown both tired and used to Grimmjow's inability to behave at these meetings. One pair of eyes, those of the blue haired man's father, were particularly lethal as he watched his son. "Enough Grimmjow." His father all but hissed, carrying the Jaegerjaques edge in his voice. He too had once been unruly but never to the same extreme and he had grown out of it.

"Enough? How the hell can you tell me enough when another one got killed? Why the fuck are we sending weaklings to do this if they keep getting killed? Has no one figured this out? What are they doing, throwing themselves in front of the enemy or what?"

"Do not speak about things which you do not understand." Another man spoke up "My son was in the last group; he was an excellent fighter and he too... he too perished. We are not sending 'weaklings' as you so affectionately call them. We are sending the best. Which explains, Grimmjow, why you have not been sent."

Grimmjow didn't recognize the man by name but he didn't care. What he **did** care about was the fact that his fighting style was being attacked by some old geezer who was pissed off because his son had been killed. He personally didn't see the logic."Are you trying to start something old man?" The other man's face became very red very quickly and he was about to roar a reply when Grimmjow continued, cutting him off. "It ain't my fault your son couldn't take the heat. He deserved to die if he couldn't complete one damned missio-"

"Grimmjow." One voice, that of their leader spoke in an irritated and annoyed tone, "Enough." The group looked toward the speaker while the older man calmed himself and offered an apology to the leader; Grimmjow offered none. Still, the voice continued, aiming itself at the blue haired man who was still standing up. "Sit. Sit and listen carefully." Grimmjow's glare had turned to the head of the table and the entire room could feel the tension rising; he obeyed, however, and sat. The speaker then stood from their own chair watching the blue haired man as they spoke. "Your family has been loyal and dedicated to our cause over the years. For this, you are allowed to sit in at these meetings and participate in our plans..."

Pausing, their leader began walking, ever so slowly, toward where Grimmjow sat. "However, do not believe..." The voice paused a moment as it arrived behind his chair "that you cannot be replaced by someone a little more..." The leader leaned down slightly, hovering their lips centimetres from Grimmjow's ear. "willing." The chilling voice spoke and the blue haired man would admit to feeling very on the spot and uncomfortable in this moment.

A stray purple curl fell in front of the speaker's face and the figure stood up straight, tucking it back into place. "But you've inspired me Grimmjow. I know just what to do with your... enthusiasm." A smirk crossed the face.

Cirucci Thunderwitch was, after all, not one to be fucked with.

"Grimmjow! Oi! Moron! Get your ass out of bed, we're going to be late for the meeting." The pirate man knocked loudly on his friend's bedroom door, having already been let in by the butler. "I 'aint having you blame me like last time. No fucking way am I dealing with that cracked up bitch a second time." He waited a moment and when no answer came from within, he gave an aggravated huff and went to open the door only to be stopped.

"He already left."

The small aqua haired girl's voice froze Nnoitra who turned around slowly and placed his eyes on her pretty little form.

"Neliel."

"Nnoitra."

They scowled at each other a minute before she continued "As I said, he left, Nnoitra. An hour ago with my father." The dark haired man didn't answer and instead continued to stare her down while scowling. Neliel allowed this for a moment of two but soon sighed in exasperation. "Nnoitra, it's rude to stare."

"It's rude to be a bitch."

"Then stop being one. You're going to miss your meeting."

With that, the young woman turned and left a very aggravated man behind her. He let out a sigh of exasperation, as she had moments before, and shrugged it off. There would always be women launching themselves on him. Why did he care what one bratty little sister thought? He didn't and that was that... yes, that was that. He glanced up and, spotting the grandfather clock, realized that it was he who was going to be late for the meeting. Ah hell.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Grimmjow deadpanned as Cirucci announced her plans to the group; his loud mouth always seemed to betray him but hey, he'd started so he'd might as well finish. It wasn't like there was anything that could have stopped him anyways. "You honestly think that'll work? Hah!" Grimmjow began to laugh deeply and while some of the others frowned, Cirucci simply returned a knowing smirk.

"My, such colourful language. Yes Grimmjow, to answer your question, I am confident that you will find a way. After all, you have **such** a... how shall I put this... an eloquent way with words. I'm sure you'll charm her instantly." She was mocking him. The Thunderbitch was actually mocking him.

"Is that sarcasm?"

"Do you understand your orders?" she countered, ignoring his question. He snorted and replied easily enough.

"And what's in this arrangement for me?"

Now that... that was not what she wanted to hear. Gone was the usual smirk and in it's place was a pair of very irate eyes. "Do not let selfishness dictate you Grimmjow. Are you prepared to let Aizen take even more control? For too long that man has thought himself a god and our world needs a new religion. With our group replacing his family, we will be more powerful then he ever was."

"With you as our queen, Lady Thunderwitch?" A brave voice interrupted, half joking, half not. The original smirk returned to Cirucci's face as she smoothed out her dress, speaking. "I think it's best that we tackle one thing at a time. Don't you?" She added the ending in an overly sweet voice that almost **dared** to be contradicted.

"Of course Lady Thunderwitch."

"Good. Now, Grimmjow, you have your orders. Can I trust you to complete them or are you too cowardly to see this one through?" The blue haired man who had listened, with surprising patience, grit his teeth.

"You callin' me a coward?"

"Answer me Grimmjow."

He paused a moment before answering. "Whatever."

The target was, after all, just a woman and he had more then enough experience when it came to attracting them. He was no Nnoitra but he certainly held his own. If they wanted him to seduce Orihime Aizen to infiltrate the Aizen household then so be it.

"Lord Schiffer and his son are here to see you my Grace."

Aizen sat in his dining room, his daughter beside him. "Oh?" A small smile came to his lips. "It would seem you've already gained some attention, daughter. You should be proud." The words were approving but the tone mocking and the red haired woman kept her head down. "Please, show them in."

Lord Aizen had always possessed a way with words; he would often say one thing while meaning something completely different. For this reason, you couldn't count on what he said but rather how he said it. For example, Aizen may have asked that the servant to"Please, show them in." with a pleasant enough tone but if you looked him in the eyes, you would see that what he really meant was : "Please, show them in or have yourself quartered, hung to dry and fed to the dogs. Oh, and be hasty."

Pure obedience is what Aizen expected; anything below that was simply unacceptable.

"Of course my Grace." the petrified boy bowed deeply and left quickly.

"I must say... I hadn't expected lord Schiffer to come quite so quickly." When he obviously had expected just that. He took a sip of the tea in front of him as the earl and his son were ushered in. "Lord Schiffer. Welcome." The Earl bowed and replied courteously.

"My Grace, thank you for seeing us."

"Oh, come now, there is no need for such formalities. Please sit." Unless you want your title stripped, your house burned to the ground and what little wealth you'll have left stolen by gypsies. Oh, and do keep the formalities in there.

The older and younger man did as they were told and sat themselves down. Ulquiorra, beside his father, faced the red haired woman who looked up to observe their guests. She blushed deeply when she caught the green eyed man watching her and how green those eyes were. Like emeralds or the sea...

"Orihime. Are you paying attention?" She was snapped back to reality her father's voice and nodded viciously. "Yes father."

"Then kindly say hello instead of staring at the boy." Aizen took another sip of tea.

"Good morning. I am pleased to see you my lord and... pleased to meet you." she bowed her head first to the elder of the two, then toward Ulquiorra. She had on many an occasion, seen the Earl but never his son and she found that well he had the same dark hair and thoughtful almost emotionless gaze, there was a softer, doll like way about him. He wasn't dashing or handsome like some, but beautiful. His pale skin almost glowed. Still, his eyes remained glued in their ways and refused to dance for her.

"The pleasure is ours, Lady Orihime." Ulquiorra's father spoke while he remained silent, still watching her as one would watch an experiment. She blushed and took a sip of her own tea to distract herself.

"I do hope you will find yourself available for the evening that we are planning at the end of the month." Aizen said, changing the subject and regaining control of the conversation.

"We would not miss it my Grace." Lord Schiffer responded easily. As the two parents spoke and Aizen shared the details of the ball that his household would be throwing, Orihime bravely spoke up to the younger Schiffer.

"Do you dance, my lord?"

Ulquiorra was taken aback by the question for only a moment. "I do." He nodded.

"Oh! Well, I imagine that you must be a very good dancer. I never have been able to achieve what one could call an acceptable level of dance. I'm so clumsy that I often step on feet!" She giggled a little. Ulquiorra, seeing his father's raised eyebrow, continued.

"Dancing is something that one can learn with practise. If it pleases my Lady and his Grace, I could, perhaps, assist."

Orihime blushed at the suggestion. "I'm afraid my lord might leave with trampled feet." she laughed lightly, knowing this to be very, very true.

"I assure you, my feet will remain unharmed."

Aizen, who had been listening the entire time, gave a small nod of approval.

"I find that to be highly acceptable. A daughter of mine must be able to dance with the grace of a swan, not the tactlessness of a beast." the room was silent so he continued, "Orihime, would you like Lord Ulquiorra to teach you to dance?"

It was an order, not a question. Luckily, for once, Orihime agreed with her father so she smiled excitedly. "I would like that very much, father."

"Then it's settled." Ulquiorra himself wore no smile, but his lips were not turned down in their usual frown. He had a role to play, after all.

"Such grace, such change!"

"I certainly do not remember the Lady Orihime being so well endowed in dance."

"In my opinion, she's certainly well enough endowed..." A new voice piped in followed by a snicker, a smack and a loud curse.

"Ow!"

"Hold your tongue in front of ladies, young man." The weapon of choice, a fan, returned to it's original purpose as the speaker fanned themselves.

"I do have to agree with you Julianna. And who is that fellow she's dancing with?"

"Why that's Lord Schiffer's son, Ulquiorra."

"He dances quite marvelously."

"Quite. He is very much like his father."

"Respectable?"

"Indeed."

A loud swoon interrupted the two women as new voices began speaking amongst themselves.

"Is it him? I can't see! I can't see!"

"Yes! Yes it is! Oh I do wonder how someone could be born with such an unnatural hair colour... It is like the sky on a summer's day."

"Father says it's the sign of the devil."

"Well then it's a good thing your father is not here, isn't it?"

"Oh Gretchen, be kind."

"Who cares what colour his hair is! He's lovely..."

"I much prefer his friend... I do wonder how he got the eye patch."

"Well he bought it of course!"

"Oh you know what I mean!"

"And his skin... so tan."

"I thought we'd moved on to his friend?"

"Evidentially not."

"And his expressions..."

"I do not think there is much to be done. Her condition is beyond repair. She is hooked."

"... they make him look so mysterious."

"Now there is a mystery I certainly would not mind unravelling..."

"Mother? What are you doing here? Honestly!"

The babbling continued until the subjects of their discussion each flashed a smile in their direction. There was only flushing, blushing and giggling after that.

"Not difficult to fluster 'em is it?" Nnoitra chuckled as he winked at one of the poor creatures. Grimmjow however, was only half listening; his head was elsewhere. His friend noticed this and raised an eyebrow.

"Looking for the _lovely_ lady?" he teased, a grin that could only be described as corrupt spread across his face.

"Don't fuck with me Nnoitra." He growled "You know I'm only doin' this to get into Aizen's circle." he almost felt the need to punch himself for allowing those words to come out of his mouth. Him? In Aizen's inner circle? Hell had to have frozen over. A growling noise came from his chest as Grimmjow thought this over but he reasoned with himself; keep your friends close and enemies closer, right? That was all he was doing. "If you'd been at the meeting, you would have known that."

"Oh come on, don't tell me you're still going on about that. Fuck man, I told you. It was your damn sister's fault. I was at your door for half an hour waiting for you to get up when she decided to inform me you'd left." Nnoitra retorted quickly. In the end, he'd never made it to the meeting and Grimmjow had had to explain what had happened. His version of course :

"And then the Thunderbitch told me I need to seduce Aizen's daughter."

"What? Orihime Aizen? Ah hell, why do I have to miss the one meeting with a fucking good mission! I wouldn't mind seducing that."

_That. _Not her, _that_.

And **that**, ladies and gentleman, is why Grimmjow was rather pleased when his sister had turned Nnoitra down. His best friend was like a brother to him but no one treated his sister like a piece of meat.

"Be my guest." Grimmjow offered. Honestly, she wasn't his type; he preferred the dark haired ones.

"Don't think I wouldn't love to accept that offer but the Thunderwitch already told me to stay out of it." Nnoitra chuckled a little "Evidentially, she doesn't trust me. Something about tact."

Grimmjow almost snorted the champagne he'd taken a swig of. Thankfully, he was able to control himself long enough to swallow the bubbly liquid and then let out a loud laugh.

"Hah! What a shocker!" he shoved one hand into his pocket and was about to take another glug of his champagne when a voice stopped him.

"I did not get you into this ball so that you could drink and cachinnate all evening." Cirucci, looking quite delicious in a peaches and cream coloured ball gown as she spoke in a quiet, sweet and dangerous voice. "I suggest you remind yourself why you are here and find Orihime Aizen." With that, Cirucci took the champagne glass from Grimmjow's hands and took a sip, never letting the fake image of serenity leave her face.

"'Che'. Whatever."

The blue haired man turned away from the two and began looking around the room for his target, finally finding her dancing with a black haired man. She looked very happy, smiling and giggling, speaking every time they met in the middle. The man she was dancing with, on the other hand, didn't smile. He didn't grin, or laugh, or return her happy glances in any way. In fact, he looked like he had a broomstick shoved up his ass. Grimmjow watched him from where he stood, already hating him. Who the hell was this guy and why was he invading his territory? Cutting through the groups, Grimmjow decided to find out.

"I can feel the difference my lord! It is true, you are a fantastic teacher!" Orihime gushed as she easily executed the moves required for this particular dance. When she re-met Ulquiorra in the middle of the dance floor, he allowed himself a short reply.

"And you, a good pupil." Praise. Something Ulquiorra very rarely gave. However in this case, it was true. Orihime had been difficult but determined and had learned quickly enough. Beyond that though, Ulquiorra had learned that flattery was a quick and easy way to fluster the girl and therefore cease her banter. He had quickly grown tired of said banter.

"Really? Thank you!" her blush matched the hue of her hair and, as predicted, she ceased speaking for a couple turns. Of course it restarted before long. "How did you come to be so sullen, my lord?"

Ulquiorra blinked in confusion at the question but answered easily enough.

"Unfortunately, I cannot give my lady an answer to something I do not know..." The next steps of the dance brought them quite close together; there was a reason this dance was considered one of the more scandalous of the ball dances. Orihime's blushing continued and one could tell that she was indeed very smitten with her dashing dance teacher. A voice interrupted the moment, separating the two.

"Excuse me my Lady but would you honour me with a dance?"

The blue haired man didn't care that this dance was still in progress. Nor did he care that he was blocking a part of the dance floor and holding up the dance for other couples. Finally, he really did not give a damn if the pale man was staring at him like he was dirt... Wait what? No... no that wasn't right! No one looked at Grimmjow Jaegerjaques like he was dirt! No one!

"I... uh..." Orihime stuttered, looking towardsUlquiorra for an answer.

"It would be proper etiquette to wait until the dance is over to ask the lady. I'll ask you to move so that the other couples may continue." the pale man responded in a deadpan voice. The other couples had stopped to watch the exchange that was taking place and so those playing the music had stopped as well. The party was quickly becoming very centred on the two men who were, at present time, engaged in a stare down.

From the corner of the room, Nnoitra and Cirucci turned to see what it was that had captured everyone's attention. Nnoitra wasn't surprised to see his blue haired friend standing in the centre while Cirucci's eyes danced dangerously. What was that grimm-kitty up to now...

"'re you suggesting I don't have any etiquette?" Grimmjow all but growled.

"Precisely. Now move off the dance floor before I am forced to do it and dirty myself in the process." It was said so calmly that one would think he was commenting on the weather or a particularly dull opera. Grimmjow was having none of it. Before he could grab the dark haired, smug bastard in front of him, a cool voice interrupted.

"Is there a problem?"

A cool, relaxed almost sweet voice with a dangerous tilt. Orihime was the first to speak.

"No, father. My lords were just-"

"The answer I seek will not come from you, daughter. Now, I rather do hate repeating myself so allow me to reformulate. Is there a problem, _gentlemen_." The entire room had now quieted and the two men looked at Aizen with completely different expressions on their face. Ulquiorra, for his part, bowed his head slightly in respect and kept his impassive expression. Grimmjow, who had been glaring at Ulquiorra, had simply moved the glare to Aizen. He bowed a little too, only because he knew that the Thunderbitch wouldn't let him hear the end of it if he didn't, but didn't let the annoyed scowl leave his face. The black haired man was the first to speak.

"I am sorry for the disturbance, my grace. We were attempting to decide the order of the lady's dance card."

"Is that so..." A chill ran through the room. "Well I will have to ask you to move this debate off the dance floor as to not ruin the view for the other guests. I do not believe that is a very difficult request, do you?" and yet another chill. Ulquiorra and Orihime bowed their heads down and turned to leave. Grimmjow remained a moment, still scowling and looking around. He knew there was a reason he hated the man before him so much. He was a creepy bastard who thought that he could control every god damn man, woman and child. He reminded himself why he was here, with difficulty and bowed his head, turning to leave. It had taken all his energy not to swing a hit at the man right then and there but Cirucci's words rang clear in his head : _"__For too long that man has thought himself a god and our world needs a new religion."_ She was right, for once. This prick needed to be dethroned and fast. He turned and walked off the dance floor just as the whispers began.

"My lord, do you mind if I get a drink?" Orihime asked the dark haired man. Ulquiorra nodded and suggested that he would accompany her.

"That won't be necessary. I will accompany the lady." Ulquiorra looked at the man who had just spoken. Where had this arrogant person come from? The two men looked at each other and one could almost feel the tension rising. Orihime, saviour as always, simply waved her hands around and suggested that they both come; she always had been a bit of a peace keeper. The two men started to walk slightly behind her but as they neared the table and a dark corner, Grimmjow felt a force push him against a wall, shielded from the view of most.

In her quest to quench her thirst, Orihime did not notice her chaperons departure and continued merrily on her way.

"What the fuck do you want?" Was Grimmjow's intelligent response.

"What I _want_ is for you to discontinue your attempts. You perturb the lady and those around you."

Grimmjow was shocked. Not by the words coming out of the other man's mouth but by the fact that this other man, so much smaller then him, really believed that he could just walk up to Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, wrap his pretty little finger's around his neck and force him against a wall.

What shocked him even more was the sheer force that this small man possessed; Grimmjow had struggled to get away from the hold in the beginning but the grip had remained strong and Ulquiorra wasn't letting go.

"Discontinue my attempts? Hah! I hate to burst your bubble pretty boy but I've only just begun."

Ulquiorra's grip tightened and the blue haired man could feel his windpipe closing a little more. He forced himself not to not show any signs of panic and instead let out a chocked laugh.

"Know your place, with the rest of the trash, and stay out of this." With that, Ulquiorra let go and pushed Grimmjow to the ground. As he turned to rejoin the orange haired woman he'd been forced to court, a small sigh escaped his lips. How troublesome this entire thing was but it was his duty to serve his family.

Meanwhile, Grimmjow was left on the ground, chuckling madly and gasping for air. Nnoitra, who had seen his friend disappear, had decided to investigate and found his friend in this state.

"What the hell happened to you?" He asked, helping him up.

Grimmjow's breathing was slowly returning to normal and he couldn't help but let a wide, wicked smirk cross his face in response.

"Who is that guy?"

Nnoitra's eyes landed on the pale haired man as he answered.

"That's Ulquiorra Schiffer. Earl Schiffer's son. A god damn robot."

"A Schiffer? That explains it." Grimmjow snickered, watching the black haired man. "Things are about to get fuckin' interesting around here."

He was going to have fun with this one.

* * *

**Authors note : **

So here we go! They've met! Please don't spear me from disappointment ^^" I already have a delicious scene planed and everything for later. It will be dynamic!... if I can write it correctly. Which brings me to my search for a Beta reader. I don't have one right now (Which is how those damnable typos slip in) but would love one. If anyone is interested, please let me know. I also want to thank those who reviewed so far (Your comments made my day! Especially those who answered the last Author's note ;]) as well as those who story alerted! It excited me to know that some of you will be getting an email to tell you I posted this. Definitely an ego booster. The next chapter isn't really outlined but I plan (or hope) to have it up by next week. I'm aiming for a chapter a week. We'll see how well I do!

R&R guys, R&R, and a Happy Thanksgiving weekend to all the Canadians out there! =]


	3. Ambitions

**Story name :** Entanglement**  
Chapter **_**Three **_**published : **November 7th 2009**  
Rating :** PG 18 (for language)**  
Status : **Ongoing**  
Pairings :** The story focuses around Ulquiorra and Grimmjow but we're going to see some others showing up too.**  
Disclaimer : **Please view Author's note at the end for details about chapter edits.  
Thank you to ImFreeFallin who Beta'ed this last chapter for me. You were, and are, a saint =D

These characters aren't mine. Sadly. T^T Oh and my Yammy is NOT the Yammy we've been seeing in the manga lately. I had already formed "my" Yammy in my head when I started writing this chapter (which was quite awhile ago at this point...) and so, he's slightly out of character? However, it's okay; I'm sure we'll all live to see another day.

* * *

"What's the matter with you Ulquiorra? You're grumpier than usual, if that's possible."

The words came from a very broad and tanned man as he lunged at the much smaller and much paler person in front of him. Every Thursday, Yammy Riyalgo would join Ulquiorra for fencing practice and, every Thursday, Yammy Riaglo would lose said fencing practice. It had become almost routine but it would be false to say that the large man had not improved considerably over the years.

"I do not wish to discuss it with you Yammy." Ulquiorra replied evenly as he easily evaded the jab. The large man was one of the few people Ulquiorra could consider - brace yourselves people - a friend. Though the green eyed man saw him more as an underling and someone who he could control, the truth was that Yammy was one of the few people who truly _knew_ Ulquiorra. Or at least as much as the clown-like man would allow himself to be known. They'd first met as children, and though he'd hated Yammy at first, Ulquiorra had eventually accepted their strange friendship.

"Why? What's got ya all tense?" Yammy pulled back and prepared himself for another lunge. He'd always been an offensive kind of fighter..."

"Do I need to repeat myself Yammy? I said do not wish to discuss it." While Ulquiorra calmly waited for said attacks. The pale man had always had a fighting style that could be called Yammy's opposite; he preferred to wait until his prey lost patience and made a mistake. He managed to lose less energy this way and it was quick, efficient and simple.

The giant oaf, however, was correct, there was indeed something bothering Ulquiorra. Or rather, someone. This someone shouldn't have been able to put even a slither of a doubt in his mind and yet, that blue haired trash had managed it.

"What do you know about Grimmjow Jaegerjaques?" Though a question, it was said as though it were a statement or even an order for information. Yammy's face was scrunched into ugly confusion and Ulquiorra had to control himself from sighing in annoyance.

"Jaegerjaques?" Yammy finally grunted. "He's the son of some noble. He's violent and arrogant. Rumour has it he's in some kind of secret group."

That's right readers, Yammy is able of intelligible communication. You may now clap. Ulquiorra contemplated the larger man's words before speaking.

"Secret group... hm."

"Yeah. Who knows though."

The image of the blue haired man sprang to his mind as he considered this idea. What secret group? He hadn't seemed the type to work well with others so what was his purpose? Letting his mouth turn down into the smallest of frowns, Ulquiorra sidestepped a lunge that had been taken at him. Yammy huffed at this reaction; even completely lost in his thoughts, Ulquiorra never let his guard down.

A week had passed since the memorable evening of Duke Aizen's ball. His grace had been called away for business and had decided to take Orihime with him. Because of this, even though each evening since had been filled with less elaborate events, organized solely for the social upper crust, the two rivals did not have the misfortune of running into one another. Misfortune here being completely subjective.

Ulquiorra for one had become very troubled over the amount of thought he had put toward the blue haired trash. Grimmjow was in no way his equal so why was Ulquiorra perturbed by these thoughts? Perhaps it was simply because no one had ever dared to so blatantly challenge him, and to see the man doing so was strange and foreign to him. However, whatever the reason, the dark haired man understood that he would have to put an end to his rival and quickly.

Grimmjow, on his part, sacrificed a smaller amount of time thinking about his rival, if only by a marginal amount. While he had no doubts when it came to his _assured_ victory, he was someone miffed that Ulquiorra had gotten a head start on him. Not that it mattered, in the end he would beat that pain in the ass.

And so another week came and went with no confrontation.

It was on the first day of the third week that letters were sent to many homes in the town. Neliel Jaegerjaques took the morning letters from the butler with a smile that faded slightly as she spotted four envelopes, all wearing elegant script. Each one was addressed to a different member of the household but she was sure they contained the same thing. She opened hers silently.

_You are hereby invited to the tenth annual Garden Party, which is to be held on the fourteenth day of the sixth month on this year, by your host, his Grace, Duke Aizen._

In Neliel's opinion, it was so very like his Grace to send out the invitations two days before and expect each invited member to attend. With a small scowl, she proceeded to the dining room to meet her parents and brother for their morning meal.

"Good morning Father, mother, Grimmjow. Duke Aizen has returned to town." the blue haired girl announced as she entered the room and took her seat across from her brother. He, who had been devouring a plate of toast and jam stopped mid-bite to look up at the bearer of this news.

"Finish chewing, brother." she continued, a small smirk on her face. Said brother simply growled but did so. Their father was the first one to speak.

"How do you know this?"

"The morning letters arrived father, and brought with them these." She handed the letters to her father who opened his and studied the script. As Neliel predicted, it matched hers perfectly.

"I see." Was the answer her father gave after a moment of silence. Grimmjow had grabbed his, ripped it open and had also read the invitation.

"About fucking time." he muttered under his breath, earning him a burning look from his mother.

"You will control that tongue at the table young man." Lady Jaegerjaques spoke in a quiet voice, the same one that had petrified her children in their younger years. One did not mess with Lady Jaegerjaques unless they wished death upon themselves.

"... Whatever." was his eventual reply; he didn't dare contradict her.

"I am quite certain that Cirucci will want the family to attend this and Grimmjow will need the opportunity. Neliel, you will go with your mother and a servant this afternoon to prepare yourselves."

"As you wish father." Neliel agreed, because it was her duty, but was not pleased. Perhaps it was her genetic disposition to hate Aizen and all that was associated with him, or perhaps it was the way they were using her brother as a toy in their game. Whatever the reason, Neliel did not enjoy the idea of this event.

"Perhaps we can find you a chaperon for the evening. I expect your mother and I will be busy with other duties and your brother will be kept busy with his. It would be... convenient to have a person to keep an eye on you. A person that this family can trust." Her father continued. Neliel almost choked on her tea. She wasn't a mere child anymore, and yet he wanted to find her a _babysitter?_ What blasphemy was this? She'd been trained with her brother from a young age, she was a Jaegerjaques for god's sake!

"-that friend of yours. Yes, have him come to the house this afternoon, Grimmjow."

Friend? Damn it, she hadn't been paying attention and she'd missed the beginning of that sentence.

"I'm sorry father but to whom are you referring?"

"The Jiruga boy."

And just like that, Neliel was seeing black.

"Ulquiorra, I assume the reason you've come to see me is... relevant."

The chill inducing tone was laced into his father's voice as the pale man entered the office.

"It is, father."

"Then speak. I do not have time for this so do make your point, and swiftly."

Ulquiorra nodded, taking another few steps towards the desk where his father stood, placing the simple yet elegant invitation on the surface.

"I thought it necessary to keep you informed." he stated simply, keeping his eyes on the man in front of him.

"Hmm." was the first response he got as the card was opened and read. "Though you may have deemed it necessary, it is not lest I say it is so. I have known about this event since before the invitations went out and, it... disappoints me that you were not able to gain this information yourself. Are you not doing your duty, my son?"

If words could slice, Ulquiorra would be in two right now. He was calculating, yes, he was smart, a genius even, but he could not compete with his father. That man always seemed to be two steps in front of him and, though it would never appear on his cold mask, it laced hate and rage into Ulquiorra's heart.

Rage and hate, two things that most thought the man incapable of. In fact, most wondered if either of the Schiffers could feel emotion or if they were simply beautiful, cold robots.

In the case of Lord Schiffer, it may very well be the case. However, in Ulquiorra's case, it was a common misconception, put into place by himself. He wanted others to believe that he was a cold, emotionless man; it was his shield, his protection, he made sure it never faltered. However, unlike his father, he was not completely dead, not completely hollow.

Not yet.

In his youth, his father had seen to that.

However what he hadn't taken into account, was the simple fact that the world had to keep a balance of good and bad or there would be consequences. This hate that bubbled inside him, hidden and smothered, had no opposing force and would surely consume him one day, as it had his father. These thoughts, however, were very rarely entertained.

"I apologize father. I will not let a detail get past me again."

"See to it that this is the case."

The green eyed man bowed before exiting in the same fashion he'd entered, heading toward his private quarters. As he was the only other soul living in the manor, Ulquiorra had been allotted his own wing and had many rooms to himself though this was hardly surprising; the Schiffer's had never been in need or want of anything. Their home was beautiful and rivalled only by that of his Grace Aizen and of course, the king. It was immaculately clean, classically white and cold.

Cold, very much like him; it suited him.

And yet, he hated it.

He hated the stark hallways and sounds of servants shuffling through the hidden staircases. They had been built here and there, allowing the workers of the manor to move around unnoticed to avoid disturbing their masters. Everything about the house was very formal and distant, including the interaction between the servants and their masters. That was the way it had always been, that was the way it would always be.

"Cream of the crop, as per usual." one Nnoitra Jiruga spoke as he grabbed an hors d'oeuvre off of a platter and shoved it into his mouth.

Grimmjow shrugged. "A collection of the most pompous fuckers in our sorry excuse for a community who pay to have someone else think for them. Nothing new."

"Guess not. By the way, shouldn't you be chasing after that red head of yours? Slacker." the black haired man continued, eyeing another food platter that was coming toward them.

"Shouldn't you be babysitting my sister?" the blue haired man countered, causing a snort to come from his friend.

"That brat needs more then a babysitter, she needs a keeper."

"Right." Grimmjow was only half-listening as a head of red hair had caught his attention. "Look, I've got to go work my charm so why don't you quit complaining, keep your eyes and not your hands on my sister and stop shoving your god damn mouth with food. Fuck, it's embarrassing being seen with you."

"Someone needs to get laid..." was the muttered reply Grimmjow barely heard as he walked away. It didn't take long for him to reach his target, and his eyebrows knit together in mild annoyance as a familiar voice picked at his ears.

"It suits you."

"You think so? Thank you my lord!"

Grimmjow almost growled at this exchange. That dark haired prick definitely had a head start. He'd have to work his magic now, and fast.

"Orihime, Lord Schiffer, what a pleasure to see you both." This sentence he said with his trademark smirk, which was the only thing stopping it from being a very sociable and normal greeting. It wasn't a lie; he was just as pleased to see his rival as he was to see the red head. No, scratch that, the red head was merely the goal. Seeing her was about as exciting to him as seeing that grumpy old man, Baraggan. Mind you, he'd rather look at her than that creepy old fuck but that was another story altogether.

Ulquiorra, on the other hand, was a rival and therefore much more interesting.

People had always said that Grimmjow was a sadistic bastard and... they were mostly right.

Mostly.

"Hm."

"Hello my lord! We were just talking about my new hair clip." she said, using both hands to point to her head. The blue haired man gave an amused chuckle before answering her smoothly.

"Please, feel free to call me Grimmjow."

"Oh! No, my lord. I couldn't possibly..." a blush of embarrassment, the same colour as her hair, broke out across her face.

"Come now, there is no need to be so formal. We can't possibly all be perfectly stoic all the time, isn't that right Lord Schiffer." the challenging smirk had returned to his face as he let his gaze fall on the dark haired man. He was pleased to see that Ulquiorra's lips were tilted downwards into the mildest of frowns. Still, it wasn't enough for him; Grimmjow needed to see the emotion written across his face. Anger, hate, frustration.

He wanted to force Ulquiorra to bare himself to him.

Oh, and he really wanted to beat him.

Orihime, completely oblivious to the building tension, continued to laugh lightly. She was still blushing when she finally spoke. "Well... if you insist, Grimmjow-sama."

Now that broke his concentration.

"... Sama? Huh?" he asked in confusion.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I always forget that not everyone knows about the Japanese honorifics. My father's family is from Japan and so he taught me them as a child. They are a sign of respect, much like our titles, but do not sound as formal in the English language." the red haired girl seemed to have recovered from her moment of embarrassment and had decided to open an information library.

Or write a brochure, at the very least.

"So I just thought that if you wished to be called by your name, I could add the honorifics and we could compromise," she finished.

"Uh... Right. Well... if that's what you want." Grimmjow answered, less than smoothly. Honestly, did she have to make everything so difficult?

"I believe the Lady has made that clear through her explanation, or are you incapable of concentrating on the shortest of speeches?" Ulquiorra, who had been quiet up until now, spoke, taking advantage of Grimmjow's moment of hesitation. He earned a growl in return. Before he could reply however, a loud crash distracted them and forcing them, along with the entire room, to search for the source of the noise.

In the corner of the room stood Nnoitra, clearly pushed against a table, covered head to toe in punch and Neliel, holding the punch container in her hand with a furious expression on her face. In the complete silence of the room, her voice rang clear and cold.

"Oops."

And with that, she walked past him, pushing the bowl into his empty hands as she did so, and made her exit. Grimmjow's incredulous face met his friend's and a moment of understanding passed between them.

Nnoitra was so fucked.

"I believe that was your sister, was it not?" The dark haired bastard said, and Grimmjow reluctantly turned around, his face just barely remaining carefully controlled.

"What of it?"

"One can tell much about a person by their family."

"Or their lack of one," he retorted.

Orihime still stood a foot away, ignorant to the conversation going on without her, her attention still focused on the Jiruga man who had now placed the punch bowl on the table.

"The Schiffers are a true noble family; that is more than one can say for the Jaegerjaques name. They cannot even control the actions of one teenage girl. Pathetic."

"Shut the hell up, you bastard." Grimmjow's cap had come unglued and his self-control was fading. He would be thankful for Orihime's obliviousness later.

"Did I hit a nerve?" the smallest of smallest smirks appeared across the pale man's face. No, it couldn't even be called a smirk; it was more the slightest upturning of the corner of his lips. Barely noticeable, but noticed by Grimmjow nonetheless. What the blue haired man didn't understand was that the angrier he got, the more Ulquiorra felt, - yes, felt - satisfied. The need and want to incite a reaction from the other was very much mutual.

What Grimmjow did next was neither unexpected nor out of character. He took a step toward Ulquiorra, noting on the difference in size. He towered over the dark haired man and yet Ulquiorra's face still remained perfectly calm and collected. Clearly, there was something wrong with him.

"I'll make this clear, Schiffer. I'm not going to let this go. I'm not going to lose to you and more importantly, I'm going to make your life a living hell. Oh, and you'd better smarten the fuck up and leave my sister out of this."

Ulquiorra stared at the man who towered over him, face inches away from his own.

"You mistake me for someone who cares about your ambitions, trash."

That was all Grimmjow needed. He didn't hesitate before backing up and taking a swing at the black haired man.

* * *

**Author's note : **First, I'm sorry about how long it took me to get this one released, but I have the next chapter already written, awaiting correction. That'll give me a little bit of time to rally up my muse (I finally flushed out the entire plot of this story and know where it's going. GO TEAM! It's just a matter of linking the ideas together with a bit of muse.)

Oh, and finally, a quick note on chapters. I combined what used to be chapters 2 and 3 so this is the new chapter 3. It just made more sense organizational wise so there you have it.

Oh, and as for the Orihime adding the sama bit... I think that her constant "Kurosaki-kuuuuuun" is an important part of her personality. Since I'm not sure Ichigo will even make it into this thing, I felt the need to add that aspect somehow and... well here you go.


	4. Invitations

**Story name :** Entanglement**  
Chapter published : **November 16th 2009**  
Rating :** PG 18 (for language)**  
Status : **Ongoing**  
Pairings :** The story focuses around Ulquiorra and Grimmjow but we're going to see some others showing up too.**  
Disclaimer : **Someone asked me today if you have a twelve-inch nose, does it then become a foot?  
These characters aren't mine, they only wish they were. [Lies!]  
Thank you to ImFreeFallin for once again Beta'ing this chapter!

* * *

If Neliel and Grimmjow thought that their father would be angry, they were in for a big surprise.

He was furious.

In fact, both Jaegerjaques children wondered if they would live to face another day. Well, at least Neliel did. Grimmjow had no regrets about what he'd done and to be fair, he'd gotten as good as he'd given. Though he'd managed to swing a couple hits, it had only taken Ulquiorra one to get Grimmjow off of him. One well aimed punch, that was for sure.

Who would have thought the little punk had it in him?

Grimmjow was still nursing the black eye (which was not from the other man, but surprisingly, from the table he'd fallen into after being punched) and thinking back on the events of the night :

Neliel hadn't waited around to find out what her punishment would be and left right after her moment of insanity (or so her brother was calling it.) After Ulquiorra had managed to rid himself of the blue haired man, he'd stood, red blood bold and contrasting against his pale skin. Grimmjow seriously hoped he'd had managed to break that assholes's nose. Before either could excuse themselves to clean up (mind you, it would have been a few moments before Grimmjow could pick himself up) Aizen had arrived.

It was as though someone had hit rewind on the evening, brought them back to the ball that had taken place those weeks before, replaced the decor and hit play. The entire room turned to see what had grabbed their host's attention and saw Ulquiorra, blood on his face but otherwise undisturbed, and Grimmjow on the ground. Hushed whispers could be heard through out the room, some of them commenting on the lack of manners and decency, other's asking who the two men were. One man, not far from Grimmjow, had chuckled to his friend "Can you believe it? He's kicked half this city's ass and he gets beat by Schiffer. Schiffer, of all people!"

Now that had simply angered the blue haired man. He'd forced himself up only to see Aizen who he'd not noticed before then. Out of the corner of his eye, he had spotted his mother looking absolutely homicidal and by her side, Cirucci. Somehow, Grimmjow was fairly certain that she was just as unimpressed as his mother...

"I would expect this from you Grimmjow, but I am surprised to see such behaviour from you, Ulquiorra." The silky voice had said, and that alone was enough to silence the room. His words had served as a reminder of all the reasons Grimmjow hated the man. Ulquiorra seemed to have realize that he'd made a mistake as his face, though still impassive, showed a certain amount of nihilism, as though he couldn't believe what just occurred.

"I apologize, my Grace. I do not know what came over me." and it was the truth. Ulquiorra had been glad to hear that his voice remained as steady as ever, even though he had been mildly shaken. Of course, this wasn't something he would ever admit.

"Indeed." Aizen had paused, as though giving them a chance to explain themselves. When both men in front of him remained silent, he'd continued. "Well, I'm sure that it was simply an altercation between two... friends." by now, Grimmjow had become more alert and could fully _appreciate_ the smirk that crossed that creepy face as it spoke. "In fact, I do believe this is the perfect time to extend an invitation to you both..."

"An invitation, my grace?" Grimmjow had spoken then, voice dripping with fake sincerity as he addressed the man.

"An invitation to my home in the country. I am planning to return within the week and wished to bring some company for my daughter. As you two seem to be so well acquainted, I do believe it is the perfect solution, do you not agree?"

Shock had crossed more than one face in the room at Aizen's words. An invitation? What? That was a great honour to receive and he was giving it to two young, but more importantly disruptive, men? Could this be possible?

"If you wish it, my Grace, then it would be my honour to accompany you and Lady Orihime." Ulquiorra had said, bowing ever so slightly.

"Of course, this is a two person arrangement. It only works if both are in agreement." Aizen had continued, wearing the face of a man in complete control. Which wasn't that off base as he really had had the situation under his control; he knew his pawns well.

"He would be honoured to visit. Is that not correct, Lord Jaeggerjaques?" Ulquiorra almost, _almost_ winced at having to refer to such trash in a respectful way but, it was the proper thing to do. Grimmjow didn't answer at first, choosing instead to eye the pale man with contemplating eyes before nodding slowly.

"Honoured, your Grace..."

And then it had been settled. Aizen had suggested that both leave for the night to rest and tend to their injuries, saying that he would send information to their homes within the next few days. It had been a polite way of kicking them out for disturbing and both had known it.

And even now as he sat waiting outside his father's study with his sister, re-thinking and re-telling the story, Grimmjow couldn't quite believe this unexpected turn of events. Nor could he believe that he'd been so easily put off guard and by such a small man; It was embarrassing. An now he sat outside his father's office, awaiting the verdict. Really, just a fantastic evening.

"Would you forget your reputation for two minutes Grimmjow? Honestly! You're almost as bad as that friend of yours."

"I know you haven't forgotten Nnoitra's name Nel, so stop being a baby... and since we're sharing stories, what the hell came over you tonight?"

Neliel started to speak, only to be cut off by a loud noise which came from inside their father's office. It sounded suspiciously like ceramic smashing followed by a woman's angry voice. Half an hour prior, Cirucci and their parents had entered his father's office. They'd both seen their father's face as he'd entered that office and told them both, curtly, to sit and wait.

Furious indeed.

Luckily, Grimmjow had brought enough of his father's fury upon himself in the past and so he could deal with it. Neliel, on the other hand, had never had to deal with her father's rath or at least, not directed at her. However, she had always been around when her brother dealt with it and so, she had also become desensitized to it.

When the room seemed to return to semi-normalcy, Neliel answered with a sigh.

"He... he was just... it's nothing Grimm. Don't worry about it." this earned her a raised eyebrow which was followed by a wince; It hurt to raise his eyebrows. "Besides, I think my evening was much less dramatic than yours, what with defending not only your honour but mine as well..." though she said it jokingly, Grimmjow knew from brotherly instinct that it was her way of thanking him.

"Don't mention it, kid."

Neither had a chance to speak again before the door opened, revealing their mother. She looked at her two children and studied them a moment : Neliel, with her messed up curls from running away, and Grimmjow, eye already beginning to darken. She was past anger but in no state to forgive them for bringing such embarrassment onto the family. So, instead of speaking, she sighed and continued down the hall toward her own room. They heard her voice a few moments later as she addressed one of the servants who was to help her remove her evening gown and then heard the shutting of a door.

It wasn't too much longer before Cirucci walked out of the study. She was... mildly less quiet than their mother.

"Grimmjow, you had better be thanking whatever higher power exists in this world that Aizen invited you along as his entertainment. If you fuck this up kitty, I will castrate you." she said it with such venom that even the blue haired man was slightly surprised. Cirucci didn't so much as look at Neliel before stalking off, which stung the younger girl a little. She couldn't understand how the purple haired woman still managing to keep herself elegant and pulled together, even when so vexed. The siblings waited a moment before hearing a voice come from the office.

"Grimmjow, Neliel, come in here. Now."

They stood and did as they were told, entering the study and taking a seat in the two chairs that sat facing their father's desk. He was leaning against the front, a glass of whiskey in his hand, his tie loosened. Grimmjow noted the broken vase that lay a couple feet away and wondered who had been the one to throw it.

"Tonight, you have both disgraced the Jaeggerjaques name. The fighting I could deal with, Grimmjow. The arguing with Nnoitra, I understood Neliel. However, you both took it too far tonight. **Much** too far." he paused here, his eyes closing to control himself. He was struggling, this much was easy to see. "You should consider yourselves lucky that I spoke with your mother and Cirucci first. They've convinced me not to punish you for your insolence this evening. Grimmjow, I **sincerely** hope you realize how lucky you were tonight. Had Aizen not invited you... It would have meant your head on a silver plate for the rest of the committee."

"Oh, don't be so god damn dramatic. That Schiffer kid is the one who is lucky. Lucky I didn't have more time to knock the Jaeggerjaques name into that pale skull of his! Who the fuck does he think he is?" Grimmjow stood up in anger as he said this.

"He's a Schiffer, Grimmjow." his father replied dryly. "That's who he thinks he is and whether you like that or not, you will have to learn to tolerate him."

"That's bullshit! Why should I have to de-"

"Enough Grimmjow." the voice was dangerous and enough to force Grimmjow back into his seat all while gritting his teeth.

"As for you, my daughter, you are no longer a child. I had half a mind to send you to some school where they deal with young ladies who do not know how to act with decorum. Luckily, Cirucci insisted that it was simply a moment of weakness and that she is confident that it won't happen again. Your mother agrees."

The blue haired girl's eyes widened in mild shock. So Cirucci did approve of her?

"For this reason, you will be let off with a warning. Learn your place, daughter." He took a sip of his whiskey before speaking again. "You are to spend the rest of the night in your quarters. I expect you both to be refreshed in the morning."

Grimmjow was quickly on his feet and out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Miles away, Ulquiorra Schiffer stood in his family library, waiting for his father to join him. His father had chosen to stay after Ulquiorra had been sent home, telling his son to wait for him. The pale man was not one for going against orders and so here he stood, leaning against the marble fireplace, hands shoved in his pockets. His shirt would be ruined from the blood, and he knew it, but it wasn't as though he didn't own dozens more.

As he waited, he went over the evening in his mind. It had been going well, very well, before that blue haired nuisance had showed up; he seemed to be developing a habit of it. Ulquiorra was, however, perplexed by the fact that Grimmjow had managed to get a swing in. He had anticipated that his rival would resort to violence but he had not anticipated that said attempt would be successful. He lifted a stray hand to his nose, surprised that it was not broken and then lowered his hand to examine the blood. Most of it was dried on his face, but what little wasn't stained his hand dark red.

Even he, the ghost child, bled red.

Ghost child. It had been quite some time since he'd thought back to that. He had been young when he'd acquired the name. The other children would say that he was so pale that he must be a ghost. One had even suggested that if he got cut, he wouldn't bleed or even worse, he would have different coloured blood. Probably black, they said. Being the child he had been at the time, Ulquiorra had just glared and scoffed. He could remember clearly saying that they were idiots and that he did not associate with idiots. Though his mind at that young age had also been quite a bit more fragile, and so he'd wondered. Could those idiots be right? Would he bleed black or some other strange and unnatural colour? Would he even bleed? The boys had decided to test it then and had attacked him one day, saying they just wanted to see.

Ulquiorra wouldn't have it; He'd defended himself and then some. The "ghost child" had walked away from that scene, the other boys all on the ground and while he had been nearly unaffected. Only nearly, because of a cut that he'd acquired across his left cheek. He'd lifted a finger and brought it down, smudging the blood into a tear shaped trail. Ulquiorra had smirked to himself upon seeing the dark red across his fingers, despite it being something so simple, something so juvenile.

And now, he was brought back to that scene as he examined the red across his fingers. Grimmjow Jaeggerjaques was the second person to make him bleed.

He'd underestimated him.

It wouldn't happen again, of course. The teal eyed man couldn't help but allow the smallest amount of doubt cross his mind. Should he have accepted Aizen's invitation at the price of spending it with Grimmjow? He crushed this thought as soon as it came. The reality was, it was more an order than an invitation. He would simply have to find a way to rid himself of that trash so that he could continue his assignment; an assignment he was rather anxious to be finished with.

The sound of the servants skittering about were the first indicator that his father was home. He stood straight, preparing for the biting words his father would surely deliver and said nothing as the man entered the library, stopping in front of his son.

Lord Schiffer examined Ulquiorra with disgust for a moment and the silence stretched. A loud sound that caused a gasp to escape a passing servant broke said silence.

Lord Schiffer had smacked Ulquiorra across the face with the back of his hand.

The father-son duo remained frozen until the elder of the two chose to speak.

"You would do well to remember your task." He then turned on his feet and left the library, leaving his son behind.

Ulquiorra hadn't been surprised.

"Get up, master Jaeggerjaques. Your father wishes to see you."

A pillow was launched at the source of the voice as the blue haired man continued to sleep, ignoring the words.

"Please young master, it is your father's wishes that you get up."

A second pillow landed, not far from the first.

The servant frowned before approaching the bed with caution. "Young master..."

Suddenly, a blue haired figure, fully dressed and made up stood in the doorway. "Allow me to handle this, Jeeves."

The servant was gone before the figure could change her mind. Neliel entered the room, pulling the sheets off her brother and shaking him violently.

"Can a guy not get some sleep around here! Fucking hell!" Grimmjow sat up quickly and was surprised to find his sister standing there, looking somewhat annoyed

"You have to get up now Grimmjow, it's important."

"Huh?" was his intelligible reply.

"Just come on. A letter has arrived for you. You need to clean yourself up, get dressed and come downstairs." she turned on her heels and left the room, leaving her confused brother behind. He quickly bathed and dressed then headed downstairs as she'd instructed. Normally he would have berated himself for being so obedient but if there was one person who could get him to do what they wanted, it was his sister. That annoying little squirt had him eating out of the palm of her hand.

In all probability, it was his parents who had sent her.

Whatever.

He began walking toward the foyer, stopping as he passed in front of a mirror. The proof of the night's actions were very clear around his darkened right eye. Damn that Schiffer. He would have to find a way to return the favour later. As he arrived in the main foyer, he could see many servants rushing here and there. It seemed something was going on. Nel was off to one side, sulking ever so slightly while Cirucci stood not far, ordering around one servant in particular. His parents were nowhere to be seen.

"What's going on?" he asked, cutting straight to the point.

"Aizen sent his information; you are to be ready by noon. That gives us three quarters of an hour to have you ready. I stopped by to give you instructions before you left." Cirucci stopped her berating of the servant long enough to answer and the poor creature took this chance to scuttle off.

"Already?"

"It would appear so. Now, instead of standing there like a useless lump, do something... useful." she flitted her hand around vaguely and returning to address another servant who was passing. "Kindly tell your master and mistress that Lady Thunderwitch has arrived and wishes an audience with them before she leaves. Where are your parents Grimmjow?"

"Hell if I know." he said,

"They have gone this morning to visit Lord Jiruga." Neliel answered at the same time.

Cirucci raised an eyebrow at this, letting a small, teasing smirk raise to her lips "And you chose not to go, Neliel?"

Grimmjow snorted at the attempt to fluster his sister. How very in-character for the purple haired woman. "Come on Cirucci, you have shit to say so we'd better get to it. Knowing Aizen, he'll be early."

She seemed surprised by this observation and nodded. "What a rare and insightful comment, Grimmjow. Alright, let's... get to it." The pair left the commotion that was the front foyer for a more comfortable sitting area as the Thunderbitch gave him the last minute details and instructions.

Twenty five minutes later, early as predicted, a valet arrived at the front door bearing messages from his Grace. It seemed that he would be supplying both young men with _a_ carriage.

"**A**" being the operative word there. _A_. As in one. As in single. Meaning that he and that green eyes bastard would have to be in close proximity for multiple hours.

Now why was it that that idea didn't exactly excite him?

"If you would follow me Lord Jaeggerjaques, our men will take care of your luggage."

"Give me a minute would you. Nel! Neliel! Get down here!" the man who worked for Aizen quirked a curious brow at that and this detail didn't get past the blue haired man. As though he cared; he was sure stories of his... what was the word they all used? Oh yes, _audaciousness_. Well, at any rate, he was sure that his audaciousness was no long a secret. The young girl hurried down the stairs, engulfing her brother into a hug before he could speak.

"Don't do anything stupid, Grimmjow, and please don't get beat up again."

He chuckled at this.

"Yeah, yeah. I got the spiel this morning from the Thunderb-... Thunderwitch." he felt the need to censor it, which was ironic, as he'd said worse in front of the squirt. "Don't worry about it, I have this one in the bag."

"Hm. Just make sure it's the bag and not the sack. You really can't afford to screw this up, Grimmjow." She said it so innocently that if he hadn't been a foot away from her, he would have thought he'd heard wrong.

"I don't want to know where you learn your expressions."

"Oh come off it. I grew up with you, didn't I?"

The siblings chuckled again a moment before parting ways, and Aizen's servant cleared his throat, seeming pressed to get going. Right... going to the carriage. The carriage that held the pale bastard. This would be fun.

When Grimmjow got into the carriage, what he saw surprised him.

Ulquiorra was indeed there waiting for him, neatly dressed and face free of the red it had displayed the night before. However, it wasn't it's usual pale complexion either... in fact, there was a large dark circle that spanned one of his cheeks.

A dark circle that Grimmjow most certainly did not give him.

It angered him to see it and he chalked it up to the fact that it hadn't been caused by him. Who had beat him to the punch, quite literally?

"Get used as a punching bag, Schiffer?" Grimmjow began when he was sitting inside the compartment.

A "hm." was the only response he would get before the carriage returned to complete silence which only served to aggravate the blue haired man.

"Is that all you can say? Damn, he must have fucked you up in the head as well as across the face. I only wish I'd gotten there first."

More silence.

"Oi! I'm talking to you!"

Finally, as though deciding to end this game, Ulquiorra spoke, clearly and calmly as though addressing a child. "I realize this. I chose not to respond, trash."

"Trash? Who're you calling trash, asshole!" Grimmjow would have leaped from his seat had the carriage's roof not stopped him. He contented himself with leaning toward Ulquiorra threateningly.

"I do believe we are the only two here and so, logically, It would be to you that I address that title."

The blue haired man was about to respond when the carriage lurched forward, causing him to lose his balance and fall, face first, onto the smaller man. Ulquiorra seemed to freeze under him and Grimmjow merely chuckled.

"Don't like to be touched?"

"Were you dropped as a baby, Jaeggerjaques?"

"You know, I'm not sure how you're going to get the girl with that attitude."

"If you know what is good for you, you shall remove yourself from my person, this instant."

Grimmjow did as he was told, chuckling to himself as he did so. Much as he hated the man in front of him, he would gladly fall on him again to get a reaction. It was, after all, so rare for the prick to show anything. Returning to the original conversation, Grimmjow spoke, relaxing against his seat.

"Logic. You sure as fuck love your logic, don't you?" he smirked, crossing his arms loosely.

The black haired man didn't pause before answering, as though it were the simplest thing in the world though he wasn't sure why he was justifying himself to this trash. "If the alternative is allowing my emotions run rampant than yes, I do enjoy my logic."

"I hate to be the one to tell you this Schiffer but we're humans and humans are driven by emotions. You're just some kind of freak of nature."

"The man who cannot control his emotions becomes a slave to the very emotions he cannot control. It is a sign of weakness. You are weak."

Grimmjow growled as this was said but forced himself not to react; that was exactly what Ulquiorra wanted after all. Instead, the two men lapsed back into an uncomfortable silence, and time passed.

They arrived at Aizen's country home well after dark, around ten o'clock Grimmjow would have guessed, and were quickly ushered into the card room where their host awaited them. Aizen was indeed, sitting casually at a table with guests that were not familiar to either of the travel weary men.

"Ulquiorra, Grimmjow. I see you've made it in one piece." He paused here and those at the table took it as their cue to move. The room quickly emptied leaving only the three of them. Grimmjow noted that Aizen was definitely one creepy bastard. One creepy bastard with a creepy posse of zombie for followers. Never would he allow himself to be controlled by this man like those he had just seen.

"We did my Grace. It was very gracious of you to provide such comfortable travel arrangements." the dark haired man had taken it upon himself to speak.

"I must admit... I am impressed. I had only anticipated one of you arriving and I am so very rarely wrong." and yet, the smirk on his face suggested that he had expected this situation all along. Grimmjow didn't like that smirk... "As you can see, we have other guests staying with us at the moment and there was a problem during the last storm that resulted in half of the rooms being unusable. This means that, as of now, I only have one room in the house available. However, I am quite sure that the two of you would be more than happy to endure a joined living arrangement until the situation is resolved."

Yes, Grimmjow _really_ didn't like that smirk and from the looks of it, he wasn't the only one.

* * *

**Authors Note** : Omgosh wut! XD Alright so, I meant to upload this last night but was being all weird and not letting me log in. Result, you get it today! I want to quickly address a couple of things :

1. The spelling of Grimmjow's last name. I don't know if anyone has noticed, but it randomly changes. This is because I can't decide on the proper spelling and so I'll use one and then forget which one I used in another chapter. Please don't let this small detail hinder the read! =]  
2. Historical accuracy. I know it's not all that. This isn't the goal of this exercise. If there is something that I really messed up on, feel free to shoot me a pm and I'll see what I can do about changing it.

If you are going to review, could you please let me know how you feel about the progression of the story so far? Is it going too fast, too slow, do you think I should pick up the pace or continue like this. I've been wondering about that...


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